Micro-CT characterization of fusing extruded PCL scaffolds

Micro-CT enables 3D characterization of the salient features of polymer scaffolds for tissue engineering applications. This paper presents our study on using micro-CT to evaluate the structural formability and the morphologies of PCL scaffolds fabricated by a Precision Extruding Deposition process. Results of as-fabricated scaffolds, with different processing parameters and micro-architectures were examined through micro-CT at 19.1 micron resolution. 2D analyses and 3D reconstructions of core regions of the sample scaffolds were performed. These results illustrate that qualitative and quantitative analysis of polymer scaffolds is possible through micro-CT and 3D reconstruction techniques.